Spring loaded retractable caster



1967 N. A. RABELOS SPRING LOADED RETRACTABLE CASTER Filed July 17, 1962INVENTOR. N\CHOLAS A. EABELos 7 5 ATTORNEY United States Patent3,349,425 SPRING LOADED RETRACTABLE CASTER Nicholas A. Rabelos, Atlanta,Ga., assignor to Roll-Lok Corporation, Atlanta, Ga. Filed July 17, 1962,Ser. No. 210,448 1 Claim. (CI. 16-44) This invention relates to animproved retractable caster, and more particularly to retractablecasters which are particularly well suited for large articles offurniture or the like.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a retractablecaster which includes a block or base or body member that is adapted tobe arranged contiguous to the lower surface of a portion of an articleof furniture or other member, and wherein the roller is movablysupported or mounted inthe body member, there being a spring means orresilient means for urging the roller 01' wheel into a downwardposition, and wherein when a person or persons'are supported on thearticle of furniture, the roller will move to a retracted position so asto effectively lock the article of furniture from inadvertent oraccidental movement, the roller or rollers in extended positionpermitting convenient and easy movement of the article of furniture fromplace to place as desired or required.

A further object is to provide such a retractable caster which isadapted to be used for preventing marring, or dragging or scufiing, andwherein the present invention includes a minimum number of parts so thatthe unit can be made and sold at a very low cost, and wherein the deviceis easy to use or install, the present invention being adaptable todifferent types of furniture or other articles such as reclining chairs,sofas, or other heavy furniture, and wherein the present invention alsois convenient to use when floors are carpeted or the like.

Still another object is to provide such a retractable caster for largearticles of furniture, wherein when the roller is retracted, as forexample when a person sits on the article of furniture, the device willbe in locked position so that the article of furniture will not movefrom its proper location or position, and wherein when the person getsup from the article of furniture, the roller will move to a downward orextended position due to the provision of springs so that the article offurniture can be readily rolled or moved to a different position asdesired or required.

Still another object isto provide such a retractable caster thatiseconomical to manufacture and efiicient in operation, and which isrugged in structure and foolproof 1n use.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from areading of the following specification and claim, together withthe-accompanying drawing, wherein like parts are referred to andindicated by like reference characters, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the retractablecaster for large articles of furniture or the like, constructedaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the parts disassembled forillustrative purposes.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral indicates one of theretractable casters of the present invention, and it is to be understoodthat a plurality of such casters are adapted to be used below an articleof furniture such as the article 12, and the number of the casters 10being used will depend upon the article being supported. As shown in thedrawings the caster 10* includes a body member or block or base 11 whichis arranged contiguous to the lower surface of the article of furniture12, and the body member 11 is provided with a plurality of spaced apartopenings 13 therein, and as shown in FIG. 5 these openings 13 includeenlargedor countersunk lower portions 14 as well as smaller portions 22.The numeral 23 indicates securing elements such as screws which havetheir heads 15 seated in the countersunk portions 14 of the openings 13,and the shanks 16 of the securing elements 23 extend through theportions 22 and the upper threaded ends of the securing elements 23 arearranged in threaded engagement with the lower portion of the legs 28 ofthe furniture 12 as shown in the drawings.

The body member 11 is further provided with a slot 17 for a purpose tobe later described, and there is provided a pair of diametricallyopposed recesses which are each indicated by the numeral 18, and therecesses 18 each include an inner narrow portion 19 which communicateswith the slot 17, and each recess 18 further includes an enlargedcylindrical or circular portion 20. The slot 17 extends from the uppersurface of the body member 11 to the vicinity of the lower surfacethereof whereby there is defined a shoulder 21 in the lower portion ofthe body member.

The numeral 24 indicates an axle or shaft or pin which is movablymountedin the body member 11, and end portions of the axle 24 extendthrough the narrow portions 19. and into .the portions 20 of therecesses 18. A roller or wheel 25 is movably mounted in the slot 17, andthe roller 25 is mounted on the axle 24. As shown in FIG. 4 for example,a pair of spring members 26 have their lower ends abutting end portionsof the axle 24, and there is provided stop members 27 for limitingupward movement of the spring members 26. a

As shown in FIG. 1 for example, the numeral 28 indicates a leg which isof conventional construction and which is arranged below the article offurniture 12, and the caster 10 is positioned contiguous to the lowersurface of the leg 28, and the securing elements or screws 23 serve tofasten the body member 11 to the leg 28. In someinstances where legs arenot used, the caster may be fastened directly to the article offurniture 12, but in those instances where the articles of furniturehave depending legs, the casters are adapted tobe connected to the legssuch as the legs 28 as shown in FIG. 1.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided aretractable caster which is adapted to be applied to or connected tovarious objects or articles which areto be moved from one location toanother, and for example the present invention is particularly suitablefor use with articles of furniture such as heavy articles includingsofas or the like. The caster 10 is constructed so that the roller 25 isautomatically retractable into an inoperative position upon applicationof pressure upon the roller so that the lower surface 29 of the member11 will firmly engage a floor or other surface as indicated by thenumeral 30, and the roller 25 moves to retracted position due to theweight or pressure on the object or article 12 by a person or persons.Also, the roller 25 automatically turns or moves to operative positionwhen the weight or pressure on the article 12 is removed due to theprovision of the springs 26.

The present invention is easy to install and efficient in use, and thecasters can be used with various different types of articles or objectswhich are in use.

When the article 12 which may be a sofa is unoccupied, the roller 25will be in the extended position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for example,and this will permit the article 12 to be readily moved on a supportingsurface such as the floor 30. Then, when the weight of a person orpressure is applied to the article 12, the springs 26 will be compressedso as to permit the roller 25 to move into retracted position into theslot 17 whereby the lower flat surface 29 of the member 11 will engagethe floor 30 to prevent inadvertent or accidental shifting or movementof the article 12. As soon as the person arises from the seat or sofa12, the springs 26 will serve to automatically move the roller 25 toextended position as, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 so as topermit the article 12 to be rolled along a floor if desired or required.

The member 11 is adapted to be arranged contiguous to the lower end ofthe leg 28 of the article 12, and the securing elements 23 extendthrough the openings 13 for fastening the member 11 to the leg 28. Themember 11 includes the centrally disposed slot 17 which is arranged orconstructed so that the roller 25 will be maintained in its properaligned position, and this slot 17 will permit extension or retractionof the roller 25, but the slot 17 will prevent the roller fromaccidentally shifting or turning from its desired aligned position. Theslot 17 is of a sufficient size however to permit turning movement ofthe roller 25. The axle 24 extends through the narrow portions 19 of therecesses and the springs 26 are interposed between the stop members orlips 27 and the ends of the axle 24 so that the spring members 26 willbe able to exert the proper pressure on the axle 24 to normally urge orbias the roller 25 to its outward or extended position. However whensufficient pressure or weight is applied to the article 12, the springs26 will be compressed so as to permit the roller 25 to be retracted intothe slot 17 as previously stated.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapesor sizes.

The present invention can be conveniently used with large articles offurniture such as sofas, chairs, desks, beds and the like. It can alsobe used with articles such as step ladders, stools, and various types ofkitchen or office furniture or other members or articles. An importantaspect or feature of the present invention is the fact that it utilizesa minimum number of parts and hence is adapted to be made and sold atlow cost and is constructed so that the device will not readily get outof order. The retractable caster will prevent marring, dragging orsculfing of floor surface or the like and permits articles to be easilyrolled when the articles are unoccupied, and when the articles such asthe articles of furniture are occupied, the articles will stay put. Inaddition the present invention can be conveniently used with recliningchairs.

The members 27 prevent the springs 26 from coming out of their properlocation, and the present invention works extremely well even oncarpeted floors or other surfaces. The member 11 can be made of asuitable material such as plastic, wood or the like. When a person sitson the article 12, the weight of the person is sufficient to lock thedevice in place, and when the roller 25 moves to retracted position,there is provided the flat surface 29 for engaging the floor 30 so thatholes or indentations will not be punched in a carpet or the like. Thepresent invention may be merchandized as a do-it-yourself item. Also,the present invention permits furniture to be moved silently withoutscraping the floor surface.

There is provided the countersunk openings 13 which prevent the devicefrom working loose from the furniture leg 28, and the arrangement of thesecuring elements or screws 23 helps prevent damage to the parts. Byutilizing two springs 26, the pressure on the axle 24 will be properlydistributed or equalized so that the necessary balance or equilibrium ofthe parts will be insured. The shoulder 21 limits downward movement ofthe axle 24 and associated parts, and the caster is constructed so thatbreakage or damage to the parts will be prevented.

While the drawings show the caster 10 attached to the leg 28, it is tobe understood that different methods of attaching the caster to thearticle can be utilized, and for example in certain instances thearticle 12 may be recessed to accommodate or receive the caster, whilein other instances the caster may be attached directly to the article12.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming withinthe field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, ifdesired.

What is claimed is:

A retractable caster of the type stated comprising a body member havinga centrally arranged vertically disposed slot therein, said body memberhaving a pair of diametrically opposed recesses formed therein and saidrecesses communicating with said slot, each of said recesses including anarrow inner portion and an enlarged cylindrical portion, a verticallymovable axle having its end portions projecting through the narrowportions of the recesses and extending into the enlarged cylindricalportions thereof, a roller mounted on the intermediate portion of theaxle and said roller being mounted for up and down movement in saidslot, spring members positioned in the cylindrical portions of therecesses and said spring members having their lower ends engaging theend portions of the axle, stop means engaging the upper end portions ofthe spring members, said body member including a plurality of spacedapart openings therein, said openings including lower enlarged portionsand said openings having upper portions of reduced size, and securingelements extending through said openings and said securing elementshaving enlarged heads seated in the lower enlarged portions of theopenings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,426 5/1908 Legge 16-46968,790 8/1910 Olssen 16-44 2,458,922 1/ 1949 Andresen 16-44 2,620,2391'2/1952 Gruenais 16-44 X 3,044,102 7/ 1962 Lackinger 16-44 MARVIN A.CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Examiner.

